Printed circuit boards (hereinafter also referred to simply as PCBs), chip carriers, and similar circuitized substrate products typically present one and often two (opposing) planar surface(s) on which electronic components such as semiconductor chips, resistors, capacitors, modules, etc. are to be mounted. As known, PCBs may also have one or more chip carriers (each including one or more chips as part thereof) mounted thereon, while such chip carriers in turn may have the chips mounted to the substrates thereof, typically utilizing wire-bond or solder reflow technologies. (One example of a chip carrier is made and sold by the Assignee of the invention and is called the HyperBGA chip carrier, which includes a laminate substrate-conductor layer structure on which is positioned one or more semiconductor chips. HyperBGA is a registered trademark of the Assignee, Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc.) Circuit paths for these components are also typically provided by forming conductive lines (often referred to as traces) on the surface(s) that often connect the conductors (sometimes referred to simply as pads) to “thru-holes” in the substrate, for those components to which such connections are required, as well as simply between the conductors if only surface coupling is desired. It is also known to directly connect the leads of such components to the thru-holes, e.g., to lands which surround same. By the term “thru-holes” as used herein is meant to include three types of conductive holes: (1) those referred to as “blind vias”, which extend within part of the board from an outer surface (thus to a “blind” depth); (2) internal “vias” which are located entirely within the board's structure (and thus covered by external layering); and (3) holes that pass entirely through the board (also referred to in the printed circuit field as plated-through-holes or PTHs. Such holes are usually formed by mechanical or laser drilling and then electroplating of the internal surfaces with suitable conductive material, e.g., copper.
In the case of components with projecting metal leads (e.g., DIPs, or dual inline packages), these leads are typically electrically connected to selected ones of the conductors using solder. Another form of connection involves the use of solder balls. One example involves using solder balls to directly couple contact sites (e.g., aluminum pads) of a chip to such pads, such as those on either a PCB or chip carrier, using conventional solder re-flow processing in which the solder balls are initially formed on the sites and then re-flowed once positioned on the pads. One form of such re-flow processing is referred to in the industry as “C4” processing, meaning controlled collapse chip connection processing. Thus, these solder balls serve as “leads” between the sites and pads in place of the metal members such as on DIPs, but in a different manner than the projecting leads of metal. Such solder connections are especially desirable in the industry to connect chips to substrates as well as chip carriers to PCBs, primarily due to the savings in substrate “real estate.” Such savings are extremely important in order to satisfy today's continuous demands for miniaturization.
PCBs and chip carriers made today often include several dielectric (e.g., a glass fiber-resin combination material known as “FR4”) layers interspersed with the requisite number of conductive (e.g., copper) layers, which may be in the form of signal, power or ground layers. Other examples of the materials for both dielectric and conductive layers are provided herein-below. For such internal signal layers, the connecting lines thereof are also typically formed using the same processing as the external surface conductors and connecting lines, with the formed dielectric and conductor layers of this sub-composite then aligned and bonded to other sub-composites, typically using conventional lamination processes, to form the final multilayered (composite) structure.
PCBs and chip carriers are generally manufactured using either a subtractive etch process, a pattern plating process, or an electro-less pattern plating process (also referred to as additive pattern plating). In all of these processes, a circuit mask that lays out the desired pattern of the conductive lines is transferred to the substrate by printing the circuit mask pattern onto a polymeric radiation-sensitive resist material (more simply referred to as photo-resist or, more simply, as resist) deposited on the substrate surface(s). This resist material is irradiated in the pattern of the circuit mask so that it is physically transformed where it is irradiated and is unchanged where shielded by the circuit mask. The resist material is then “developed” by exposing it to a fast-reacting chemical solution that selectively removes either the irradiated material (called a positive resist) or removes the non-irradiated material (called a negative resist).
Subtractive etching typically begins with a substrate comprised of a non-conductive (dielectric) material on which at least one (and often two) layer(s) of conductive material such as copper has been plated or laminated. A layer of photo-resist material is then deposited and “developed” in the circuit mask pattern so as to expose the conductive material where circuit paths are not desired. The exposed conductive material in the photo-resist voids is then etched away. Finally, the remaining photo-resist material is removed, leaving behind conductive lines wherever circuit paths were desired. The subtractive etch process provides good control over circuit path height because the amount of conductive material plated onto the substrate can be generally controlled very well. Precisely controlled circuit path height is especially important with surface mount techniques, especially when forming fine line circuitry with highly dense patterns. The subtractive etch process, however, generally does not provide as precise control over circuit path width as does additive plating, due to plating variation and lack of sharply defined path edges. While subtractive etch processing may be used for high density applications, greater width control is often desired.
Pattern plating (also referred to as acid plate pattern plating) uses electro-plating techniques to deposit conductive lines in circuit paths defined by photo-resist material voids. More specifically, a conductive foil layer on the circuit board is connected to an electrode and the conductive material is deposited onto the board in the resist material voids using an oppositely charged electrode. The width of the conductive lines is generally dependant on the developed photo-resist pattern, which typically is of photographic sharpness. Pattern plating thereby provides good control over circuit path width and permits conductive lines of relatively fine width. The circuit path height, however, is not as easily controlled because such height is dependent on the density of the desired conductive lines. As a result, isolated conductive lines are typically thicker than densely packed (closely spaced) conductive lines. Thus, line height is sometimes not as precisely controlled by the acid plate process as may be desired, especially where higher densification is demanded.
Additive (electro-less) plating processing is similar to the acid plate pattern process, except that chemical plating processes are used rather than electro-plating processes. Additive plate fabrication generally requires more time to complete as compared to acid plate pattern fabrication but is typically not as susceptible to circuit path height variation according to line density. Additive plating may occasionally result in copper nodule formation, however, if not performed in a precise manner and under carefully controlled conditions.
Surfaces of substrates often need to be planarized during manufacture. Planarization methods such as surface machining remove non-planar regions of the board. Chemical mechanical polish, another often used method also employed in the semiconductor and ceramic industries, contains abrasive slurry materials which attack both resist and copper surfaces. Such polishing techniques are not compatible with many organic-based substrates, which are often used in conjunction with surface-mount technology substrates. Surface-mount technology utilizing solder ball connections as described above is popular today because it permits higher component densities and faster component mounting as compared with more conventional wire-bonding techniques in which it is necessary to electrically interconnect several small contacts and conductor sites with fine, delicate wires. Such polishing techniques are generally incompatible with organic based substrates because such substrates are somewhat flexible and typically have surface undulations. The surface undulations are due to variations in substrate thickness and also to the inherent flexibility of the substrates, which permits bowing and warping. Conventional chemical-mechanical polishing techniques will not follow these undulations and contours of flexible substrates. As a result, substrate areas of extra thickness or that bow outward will be left with conductive lines having areas that are too thin, and board areas of reduced thickness will be left with conductive lines having areas that are too thick.
As stated, many connections to conductors on the external surfaces of circuitized substrates of the kind mentioned above involve the use of solder. In addition to solder balls which connect the conductors to such conductors as aluminum contact sites on a semiconductor chip, it is often desirable to provide a layer of solder directly on the conductor which will then accept the solder ball (or a metal lead if desired) to form the final coupling. Such a layer may also be re-flowed to form a solder ball itself, under some conditions, eliminating the need for a complimentary solder ball on the component. This fine layer of solder is re-flowed as part of the connection process, which, if a solder ball is used, may also involve flowing of the ball's solder. Such ball re-flow will not occur should the melting point of the component ball's solder be higher than that of the solder layer, as is also often the case. When forming such solder layers (quantities of solder) on selected conductors, it is often necessary to protect other conductors which are not designated to have such solder thereon, at least not at this point in the procedure. Such other conductors, for example, may be intended to receive the aforementioned wire-bond connections, and, as a result, may include different external metallurgies than the solder conductors. Exposure of such other conductors may thus upset the metallurgies thereof as a result of exposure to hot solder or, as sometimes used, hot air, directed onto such exposed conductors. Should such metallurgies include precious metals such as gold, it is understood that damage to the metals can prove costly as well as time consuming (to repair the surfaces and provide same with the proper mix).
It is thus appreciated that in the manufacture of circuitized substrates such as those defined above, it is essential to avoid the pitfalls above, especially when producing such products having highly dense circuit patterns. As defined herein, the present invention is able to overcome such pitfalls, while producing a final substrate with highly dense patterns of conductors and lines. It is particularly noteworthy that the process as defined herein is able to do so while providing at least some pads with solder thereon and other pads excluding solder and thus adapted for other forms of connection. This process thus serves to protect the pads not having solder during the solder processing, and thus eliminate the costly and time consuming requirements to repair damaged pads or even replace the entire substrate, if necessary.
The following patents mention various processes for forming circuitized substrates. The citation thereof is not an admission that any are prior art to the presently claimed invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,169,313, issued Jan. 30, 2007, there is defined a method of plating a circuit pattern on a substrate to produce a circuitized substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board) in which a dual step metallurgy application process is used in combination with a dual step photo-resist removal process. Thru-holes are also possible, albeit not required. This patent is assigned to the same Assignee as the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,087,441, issued Aug. 8, 2006, there is defined a method of making a circuitized substrate in which two solder deposits, either of the same or different metallurgies, are formed on at least two different metal or metal alloy conductors and PTHs. In an alternative embodiment, the same solder compositions may be deposited on conductor and PTHs of different metal or metal alloy composition. In each embodiment, a single commoning layer (e.g., copper) is used, being partially removed following the first deposition. The solder is deposited using an electro-plating process (electro-less or electrolytic) and the commoning bar in both depositing steps. This patent is also assigned to the same Assignee as the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,974, issued Apr. 15, 2003, there is described producing a PCB using a process which includes patterning a photo-resist layer according to a circuit mask that defines desired circuit paths. The photo-resist pattern layer is formed by removing the photo-resist from the board in the desired circuit paths and a conductive material is plated onto the board in the voids defined by the circuit mask so that the height of the conductive material relative to the substrate equals or exceeds the height of the photo-resist layer relative to the substrate. A low-reactive solution is applied over the conductive material and removes a surface portion thereof. As the solution removes the conductive layer, it forms a film barrier and the solution composition changes, both of which substantially inhibit any further removal of the conductive material. Next, the film barrier is removed from the board allowing another film barrier to form stimulating the removal of further conductive material. The removal step is repeated until the conductive material is at a desired height relative to the height of the resist layer. The board is then finished using conventional circuit board fabrication techniques.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,893, issued Apr. 2, 1996, there is described a PCB manufacturing method in which an organic non-conductive layer does not separate from the PCB's “metal core” (e.g., of aluminum) even in an environment of high temperature and high humidity since both the metal core and the organic non-conductive layer are firmly adhered. An organic non-conductive layer is formed over the metal core with a metal plated layer (e.g., nickel) there-between for protecting the metal core. A metal oxide layer is also used for enhancing adhesive force. By utilizing such a metal oxide layer, it is possible to more effectively prevent the organic non-conductive layer from separating from the plated layer (and thus the metal core). Further, the protecting metal plated layer can protect the metal core from erosion caused by contact with a strong alkali solution, etc. as may be used in a process of forming the metal oxide layer. Still further, copper plating inside the through hole can be performed easily.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,781, issued Feb. 27, 1996, there is described a method for manufacturing a PCB in which there is formed on a top surface of an insulating substrate a layer of plating ground layer as a metal film, irradiating using electromagnetic waves such as provided by a laser, a boundary edge zone of what are referred to as “non-circuit parts” with respect to circuit-printing parts on the insulating substrate in correspondence to a pattern of the non-circuit parts to remove the plating ground layer at the part irradiated by the electromagnetic waves, and thereafter to form a plating on the surface of the plating ground layer at the non-irradiated parts. The apparent result is that the laser irradiation is carried out only with respect to the boundary edge zone of the non-circuit parts, without irradiating all of the non-circuit parts.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,409, issued Nov. 21, 1995, there is described an etching solution for precision etching of vapor-deposited copper films of complex curvature on PCBs. Cupric chloride, sodium chloride and de-ionized water are constituents of the etching solution, which the authors claim are able to produce circuit lines of about three to ten mils.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,622, issued Oct. 25, 1994, there is described a procedure for producing PCBs with pads for insertion of surface-mount devices (called SMDs by the authors). A copper lined base plate is provided with a positive photo-protective layer with a coating thickness lesser or equal to the depth of the pads to be built up for the connection of the SMD components. The positive photo-protective layer is exposed using a primary film with a window mask corresponding to the desired pad arrangement, and the exposed base plate is developed in a developing bath such that the photo-protective layer is removed in the area of the exposed windows, exposing open copper areas. The base plate developed in this way is exposed with a secondary film using a mask for the strip conductors, whereby the strip conductors are modeled as opaque areas. The twice-exposed base plate is electroplated in a tin or tin-lead bath, whereby a tin or tin-lead coating is built up in the region of the open copper area until the pads have been formed by this means with a depth greater or equal to the thickness of the photo-protective layer. The electroplated base plate is developed in a developing bath, whereby the tin plated pad areas and the protective layer regions covered by the opaque strip conductor areas of the secondary film remain. The base plate developed in this way is etched, whereby the laid-open copper areas are removed and the protective lacquer existing in the strip conductor areas is removed, laying bare the copper strip conductor areas.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,645, issued Aug. 16, 1994, PCBs with three-dimensional surfaces are disclosed. Using a first technique, a three dimensional surface is formed on a substrate having a high melting point or permitting a high degree of infrared energy transmittance. The surface contains a layer of metallization maintained at a depth of less than two microns. An infrared laser then moves around the surface and selectively vaporizes the metallization, leaving a desired printed circuit pattern. The remaining metallization is plated to a useable depth. Using a second technique, a fiber optic bundle is machined on one end to mate with the three dimensional surface. The three dimensional surface, metallized and coated with photo-resist, resides in intimate contact with this first end. A second end of the cable is flat and resides in intimate contact with two-dimensional master photo artwork. A pattern is exposed on the photo-resist through the fiber optic bundle, and the metallization is etched using conventional techniques.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,796, issued May 3, 1994, there is described a deposition process which involves formation of a silicide, such as palladium silicide, in the region upon which copper deposition is desired. The silicide acts as a catalyst to initiate reduction of copper ions from an electro-less plating bath to produce an acceptably low resistance copper deposition. Thus, for example, in the case of producing an interconnect involving a silicon region at the bottom of the interconnect structure defined through a silicon dioxide region, palladium is first evaporated over the entire surface and is heated to form palladium silicide only at the base of the structure. The palladium on the silicon dioxide surface is un-reacted. A selective etch is then used to remove the un-reacted surface palladium. Upon substrate immersion in a conventional electro-less copper plating bath, copper deposition proceeds selectively on the palladium silicide surfaces and continues up through the interconnect. The silicon dioxide surface is non-catalytic to the plating step and induces essentially no copper deposition.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,579, issued Nov. 3, 1992, there is described a process in which the areas of a PCB where electrical components are to be solder connected, such as thru-holes, surrounding pads and surface mount areas, are selectively provided with a metal coating (e.g., tin-lead) which preserves and promotes solderability at these locations, by a process in which a photo-imageable electro-phoretically deposited organic resin is used to provide, on an already patterned surface, an additional resist pattern which selectively exposes areas on which the solderable metal coating is to be provided and in which the resist serves also as an etch resist for metal areas over which it is arranged.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,385, issued Jun. 2, 1992, there is described a method for making a multilayered electrical inter-connect on substrates such as PCBs in which the inter-connect structure includes stacked pillars between layers, the method using a minimal number of conventional process steps. The method includes sputtering a chromium/copper/titanium tri-layer onto a dielectric base, depositing a patterned mask on the tri-layer, etching the exposed tri-layer, removing the mask, depositing a layer of polyimide over the un-etched copper, forming a via in the polyimide above the copper, plating nickel into the via using electro-less plating, and polishing the inter-connect to form a planar top surface.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,071, issued Jan. 28, 1992, there is described a method of chemical mechanical polishing an electronic component substrate including the steps of obtaining an article having at least two features thereon or therein which have a different etch rate with respect to a particular etchant; contacting the article with a polishing pad while contacting the substrate with a slurry containing the etchant wherein the slurry includes abrasive particles (which do not include alumina), a transition metal chelated salt, a solvent for the salt, and a small but effective amount of alumina. The polishing causes the two features to be substantially coplanar.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,611, issued Oct. 4, 1988, there is described forming high density primary wiring patterns on PCBs with less than 0.005 inch spacings and wiring conductor widths, which claim to permit wider conductors of at least three times the wiring spacing and which are thus less likely to have open circuit or substrate adherence defects. This is achieved by depositing on an irregular surface of a conventional “flat” panel insulator a thick liquid photopolymer layer of paste-like consistency, such as to a 0.006 inch thickness, flattening it with the image bearing side of a glass plate photo-transparency to produce high resolution wiring patterns comprising ridge tops defining insulating spacing between channel conductor areas there-between by means of un-collimated actinic radiation, forming thin conductive layers 0.0014 inch thick on the channel bottoms and sidewalls to produce wider conductors, and sanding off the flat ridge tops to assure that there are no short circuits between adjacent conductors.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,792, issued Oct. 27, 1987, there is described a method of forming fine conductive lines, patterns, and connectors on a substrate, particularly those useful for electronic devices. The method comprises a series of steps in which a polymeric material is applied to the substrate, the polymeric material patterned to form openings through, spaces within, or combinations thereof in the polymeric material, a conductive material is applied to the patterned polymeric material, so that it at least fills the openings and spaces existing in the polymeric material, with excess conductive material removed from the exterior major surface of the polymeric material using chemical-mechanical polishing to expose at least the exterior major surface of the polymeric material. The structure remaining has a planar exterior surface, wherein the conductive material filling the openings and spaces in the patterned polymeric material becomes features such as fine lines, patterns, and connectors which are surrounded by the polymeric material. The polymeric material may be left in place as an insulator or removed, leaving the conductive features on the substrate.
As mentioned above, the present invention provides a new and unique process for producing circuitized substrates in which selected ones of the conductors thereon include solder while others are protected during the solder process and thus able to provide another means of connection, e.g., using fine wiring associated with wire-bond processing. The method taught herein overcomes the pitfalls cited above for many other processes, and may be conducted at comparative and sometimes relatively lower costs than such processes. It is believed that such a process will constitute a significant advancement in the art.